Crayon Shin-Chan (Shinchan)
Crayon Shin-chan (Japanese: クレヨンしんちゃん Hepburn: Kureyon Shin-chan?), also known as Shin Chan, is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Yoshito Usui. It follows the adventures of the five-year-old Shinnosuke "Shin" Nohara and his parents, baby sister, dog, neighbours, and friends and is set in Kasukabe, Saitama Prefecture. Due to the death of author Yoshito Usui, the manga in its original form ended on September 11, 2009, as announced in a broadcast of the anime on October 16, 2009. Although the series formally ended on February 5, 2010, it was announced on December 1, 2009 that a new manga would begin in the summer of 2010 by members of Usui's team,2 titled New Crayon Shin-chan (新クレヨンしんちゃん Shin Kureyon Shin-chan?). An anime adaptation of the series began airing on TV Asahi in 1992 and is still ongoing. The show has now been dubbed in 31 languages,3 has over 900 episodes and 24 full length movies have been released Basic Information Crayon Shin-chan first appeared in a Japanese weekly magazine called Weekly Manga Action, which is published by Futabasha. The anime Crayon Shin-chan has been on TV Asahi since April 13, 1992, and on several television networks, worldwide. Many of the jokes in the series stem from Shin-chan's occasionally weird, unnatural and inappropriate use of language, as well as from his mischievous behaviour. Consequently, non-Japanese readers and viewers may find it difficult to understand his jokes. In fact, some of them cannot be translated into other languages. In Japanese, certain set phrases almost always accompany certain actions; many of these phrases have standard responses. A typical gag involves Shin-chan confounding his parents by using the wrong phrase for the occasion; for instance, saying "Welcome back" ("おかえりなさい" "okaeri nasai") instead of a using a more suitable wording such as "I am home" ("ただいま" "Tadaima") when he comes home. Another difficulty in translating arises from the use of onomatopoeic Japanese words. In scolding Shin-chan and attempting to educate him in proper behaviour his parent or tutor may use such a phrase to indicate the correct action. Often through misinterpreting such a phrase as a different, though similar-sounding phrase, or through interpreting it in one sense when another is intended, Shin-chan will embark on a course of action which, while it may be what he thinks is being requested of him, leads to bizarre acts which serve only to annoy his parents or tutors even more. This is not restricted to onomatopoeic words, since almost any word can become a source of confusion for Shin-chan, including English loanwords, such as mistaking "cool" for "pool" ("That's pool!" or "Pu-ru da zo!" ("プールだぞ！") for "That's cool!"). Some other humorous themes which are repeated in the series are of a more universal nature, such as gags based on physical comedy (such as eating snow with chopsticks) or, as a child, unexpectedly using adult speech patterns or mannerisms. But even there, many of the gags may require an understanding of Japanese culture and/or language to be fully appreciated; for example, his "Mr. Elephant" impression, while being transparently obvious as a physical gag, also has a deeper resonance with contemporary Japanese culture since it refers to the popular Japanese children's song "Zou-san" (ぞうさん). Shin-chan regularly becomes besotted with pretty female characters who are much older than him, and an additional source of humor is derived from his childlike attempts at wooing these characters, such as by asking them (inappropriately, on several levels) "Do you like green peppers?" (ピーマン好き?). He continually displays a lack of tact when talking to adults, asking questions such as "How many times did you go to the police?" to tough-looking men or "How old are you?" to elderly people. The series works under a sliding timescale where the characters have maintained their ages throughout the course of the series. Though time has passed to allow for the rise and fall of several pop culture icons, marriages, pregnancies, and births of various characters, all the characters still maintain their age at the time of their introduction. For example, if the two major births in the series are taken into account (Shinnosuke's sister, Himawari, and his kindergarten teacher's child), Shinnosuke would be seven years old and in second grade, but he is not. Yoshito Usui died on September 11, 2009 after a fall at Mount Arafune. After Usui died, Futabasha originally planned to end Crayon Shin-chan in November 2009. Upon discovering new manuscripts, Futabasha decided to extend the comic's run until the March 2010 issue of the magazine, which shipped on February 5, 2010 Characters Nohara family ; Shinnosuke Nohara (野原 しんのすけ Nohara Shinnosuke?) : Voiced by: Akiko Yajima (Japanese); Kath Soucie (Vitello), Diane Michelle (Phuuz), Laura Bailey (Funimation) (English) : He is the main character, son of Hiroshi and Misae and Himawari's brother, a kindergarten-aged boy whose antics are the basis for the series. His affectionate name by relatives is Shin-chan. He is five and loves chocolate biscuits of the brand "Chocobi" and a TV superhero named "Action Kamen", but he absolutely hates green peppers. He shows deep affection for his sister Himawari. He is a very good singer and pretty good baseball and football player. He learned photography from his aunt Musae. Sometimes he changes the actual words, making it very funny. For example, promise becomes promotion etc. He often exhibits deep affection for his friend Kazama. Some of his strange activities include dressing up (often as an animal). He also causes trouble for others and then criticizes their efforts in covering for him. In general, he is outspoken and very curious. He has little shame. There have been several instances in which his antics actually solved the problems of those around him. He also displays a surprising amount of talent at singing songs and changing their wordings. On rare occasions, he displays bouts of selfless kindness. For example, in one anime episode he saved a frog from a truck on a rainy day, getting all wet and dirty in the process and risking Misae's ire since it was his last set of clean clothes. In another episode, he gives Masao the change he has even though he knows that his mother will scold him later. However, these are often immediately followed by antics that negate the goodwill others feel. There are also times when Shin-chan displays a level of maturity beyond his usual self in his concern for others, and in a few rare instances he shows that deep down he really does care for his family, although he usually behaves badly with them. : He is known as Shin Chan Nohara in all the English dubs, and the jokes he makes in the Funimation dub are more adult. ; Misae Nohara (野原 みさえ Nohara Misae?) : Voiced by: Miki Narahashi (Japanese); Kath Soucie (Vitello), Julie Maddalena (Phuuz), Cynthia Cranz (Funimation) (English) : Shin-chan's mother from Tokyo. She is 29 and a typical housewife of post-war Japan: She cleans, launders, cooks, sews, mothers Shin-chan and his sister, and lazes. While at heart a caring and nurturing individual, her positive aspects are often offset by her many shortcomings. A paragon of hypocrisy, after handing out irrevocable edicts to her husband and children, she will not hesitate to immediately break them once they are out of sight. Her famous and symbolic moves includes "drilling" others' head with her fists (known as "guri-guri") and a series of punches on the head, creating comically large lumps (the punches are mainly thrown by Misae, but other characters have been known to use it as well, such as Hiroshi and even Nene). Her son often makes fun of her habitual constipation, as well as her fluctuating weight and small breasts. While she spends as little as possible on the less-essential needs of her husband and son, she loves to splurge on Himawari and herself, though she is noted to have instances of great generosity. She always changes her hair styles as seen it is sometimes curly and sometimes long and shattered hair. Most of her luxury purchases, however, often end up broken, misused or otherwise ruined by her children, sometimes even before she had a chance to try them. She is the source of boundless diet and savings plans, all of which fail within the first week or even first day. She is prone to immediately partake in bargain sales when she sees them, thinking she is saving the family money. She then buys extreme quantities, regardless of the practicality, which defeats the purpose. Additionally she secretly hoards money for her own personal use. She is also known to be a terrible driver. Misae also constantly checks Shin-chan's and Hiroshi's behavior around young women and punishes them accordingly (and always seems to be in the right place at the right time when it comes to the latter). She was born in Aso, Kumamoto. : She is known as Mitsy Nohara in the Vitello and Phuuz dubs. : She is known as Mitzi Nohara in the Funimation dub, and she is also stashing her money to get breast implants. ; Hiroshi Nohara (野原 ひろし Nohara Hiroshi?) : Voiced by: Keiji Fujiwara (Japanese); Eric Loomis (Vitello), Peter Doyle (Phuuz), Chuck Huber (Funimation) (English) : Shin-chan's father from Akita in Northern Japan, and is the sole source of income. He met Misae at the age of 29 and after making her pregnant with Shin, the two wed. He is a loving father to his two children, and ultimately a devoted husband. While he is the family bread-winner, he hands the reins of finance over to his wife, who maintains a totalitarian level of control on family spending. At age 35, he is a stereotypical Japanese salaryman, working eight-hour days, enduring overstuffed trains, enjoying the occasional nightlife, and giving every bit of his take home pay to his wife every month. While his relationship with his family is positive on the whole, there is an abundance of recurring conflict. He and his wife bicker on many different things, from how little he gets for spending money every month, to whose turn it is to give the baby a bath. Misae is also notorious for inflicting violence on Hiroshi whenever she gets very angry (usually when his gaze wanders to younger women). He often dreams about being a playboy while he sleeps as an escape, though this is usually interrupted by some external stimulation. He enjoys a playful relationship with his children; but sometimes they're the source of his problems. He loves a cold beer after work and shares Shin-chan's appreciation of TV shows with young women in skimpy clothing, often getting too excited about it for Misae's liking. He will not hesitate to save his allowance for things he wants, but can be seen spending much of it on things for family. A running joke is made of the pungent odor of his feet and his socks are often used as weapons by other members of the family. He was born in Omagari, Akita (a village in Daisen, Akita). : He is known as Harry Nohara in the Vitello and Phuuz dubs and Hiro Nohara in the Funimation dub. ; Himawari Nohara (野原 ひまわり Nohara Himawari?) : Voiced by: Satomi Kōrogi (Japanese); Russi Taylor (Vitello), Colleen Clinkenbeard (Funimation) (English) : Shin-chan's sister and the youngest child of the Nohara family, born in 1996. A precocious and vibrant infant. While technically newborn, her character has matured and grown more intelligent during her stay in the series. She possesses a palpable lust for shiny objects (jewels and precious metals) and brand-name goods, being able to discern a real jewel from a simple piece of imitation (and throwing away the latter). She emulates her mother in her utterly stubborn pursuit of handsome young men who catch her eye, not unlike her brother, who soon discovered that a way to pacify her was to put on a cutout mask of a known handsome actor. In her family, she is an icon of adoration and annoyance, causing trouble she cannot be blamed for given her infantile innocence. She can be extremely fast crawling, tiring out even Shin-chan, and often uses Shiro as a toy. Her name, which is Japanese for "sunflower", was chosen by the show's viewership and not the creator. After becoming big her friends are Nike-chan (Nene's sister), Nisu-chan (Bo's sister) and some more children. : She is known as Daisy Nohara in the Vitello and Phuuz dubs and Hima Nohara in the Funimation dub. ; Shiro (シロ Shiro?) : Voiced by: Mari Mashiba (Japanese); Michael Sorich (Vitello), Chris Cason (Funimation) (English) : A white, fluffy pup Shin-chan found in a cardboard box early in the series. While a beloved member of the family, he is the subject of neglect thanks to his owner's forgetfulness and short attention-span. He is a very intelligent dog, often presenting logic and intellect that surpasses his human owners. As his meals from the Noharas are at best inconsistent, he has developed a talent for foraging, though other times he has to eat Misae's failed culinary experiments. An oddly human-like dog, he is very responsible and painstakingly careful. He takes care of his owners diligently, though often they do not realize his help or understand what he is trying to show them. His doghouse also often ends up becoming a place for Shin-chan to hide himself or something he doesn't want his family to find. He often plays protector to Himawari, more often than not sacrificing his well being in the process. : He is known as Lucky in the Vitello and Phuuz dubs. : He is known as Whitey in the Funimation dub, and he has an added British voice over. Misae's familyedit ; Yoshiji Koyama (小山 よし治 Koyama Yoshiji?) : Voiced by: Kenichi Sakaguchi, Tomoaki Ikeda (Japanese); John Swasey (English) : Misae's 63-year-old father and Shin-chan and Himawari's maternal grandfather. As a retired teacher, he has much higher standards of public decorum than Hiroshi's father Ginnosuke. This results in him constantly arguing with Ginnosuke. Although he is stubborn (a trait that passed to his daughters) and conservative, he is actually a caring person. He is much more intelligent than his grandson, Shin-chan. He likes his grandson but gets annoyed because of Shin-chan's attitude. He is occasionally childish and argues with his wife about very minor things, often resulting in him and Ginnosuke going to the Noharas. : He is known as Waldo in the Vitello and Phuuz dubs. ; Hisae Koyama (小山 ひさえ Koyama Hisae?) : Voiced by: Noriko Uemura (Japanese); Wendy Powell (English) : Misae's 58-year-old mother and Shin-chan and Himawari's grandmother. Her appearances in Shin-chan episodes are usually with her husband. Like her husband, she looks down on the way Hiroshi's father behaves, but she gets along well with Ginnosuke's wife Tsuru. She always fights over little things with her husband Yoshiji. In the Funimation dub, she has constant thoughts about wanting to commit suicide. Later in the series, Misae says that she has been sent to a mental facility. ; Masae Koyama (小山 まさえ Koyama Masae?) : Voiced by: Tomoko Miyadera : Misae's 35-year-old older sister. She is single and her appearances on the show are rare. She shares some of the same mischievous antics as Shin-chan and Ginnosuke, though it is possible that Misae learned some of her moves from her. ; Musae Koyama (小山 むさえ Koyama Musae?) : Voiced by: Michiko Neya (Japanese); Carli Mosier (English) : Misae's 26-year-old younger sister and Shin-chan and Himawari's aunt. She is very lazy and likes to eat and sleep all the time. She dreams of becoming a photographer and her wish fulfills. She often makes a mess in the room she lives in. : She is known as Minnie in the Vitello and Phuuz dubs. : She is known as Bitzi Nohara in the Funimation dub, and she is also a "Brown-brown" addict. Hiroshi's familyedit ; Ginnosuke Nohara (野原 銀の介 Nohara Ginnosuke?) : Voiced by: Ginzō Matsuo, Chō (Ep. 429 and on) (Japanese); Sonny Strait (English) : Hiroshi's 65-year-old father. Like his son and his grandson, Shin-chan, he enjoys looking at and flirting with pretty young women. He also likes to do weird things with his grandson and taught him many of his habits. He is affectionately called Gin-chan. When he visits the Noharas, he always stays for much longer than Misae would like, leading to friction between the two. He greets the family in various strange (and often embarrassing) ways whenever they visit Akita, such as dressing as various movie characters. Another running gag in the series is that he suddenly appears in Kasukabe out of nowhere. : In the Funimation dub, he is affectionately called "Gin" and "roamed" the countryside on a motorcycle when he was younger. He later started a sexual relationship with Bitzi, but stopped after intervention from Misae. : He is known as Gary in the Vitello and Phuuz dubs. ; Tsuru Nohara (野原 つる Nohara Tsuru?) : Voiced by: Chie Kitagawa : Hiroshi's 62-year-old mother, Shin-chan and Himawari's paternal grandmother. Although she seems to be more mature than her husband, she acts more strangely in front of Shin-chan and Himawari. ; Semashi Nohara (野原せまし Nohara Semashi?) : Hiroshi's 40-year-old brother, Shin-chan and Himawari's uncle, he never appeared in the anime. He works as a farmer, he's not very smart and rarely expresses any emotions. Futaba Kindergartenedit In the Japanese anime, the school is called Futaba Kindergarten (ふたば幼稚園 Futaba Yōchien?, named after the comics publisher, Futabasha). In the Funimation dub, it is renamed to Super Happy Fun Time American School. Funimation head writer Jared Hedges states that the Americanization of the school was done to use the characters as an outlet for American humor and references while keeping the show location in Japan. Sunflower Classedit ; Kasukabe Defense Organization (かすかべ防衛隊 Kasukabe Bōeitai?) : An "organization" that Shin-chan and his friends created as a group in the episode 143 "Kasukabe Defense Organization" broadcast on May 1, 1995. The purpose of this group was to promote peace in Kasukabe, but they hardly do anything meaningful during their operations, ironically causing many troubles when they do "defend". Their secret base is located at the buildings stairs. :: It is known as the Kazhukids in the Vitello and Phuuz dubs, as Kasukabe is called Kazhu in these dubs. ; Tōru Kazama (風間 トオル Kazama Tōru?) : Voiced by: Mari Mashiba (Japanese); Grey DeLisle (Vitello), Hope Levy (Phuuz), Brina Palencia (Funimation) (English) :: Tōru Kazama is Shin-chan's immaculately groomed and perfectly mannered friend, who usually loses his nerves and composure when Shin-chan acts annoying. Despite that, they are actually closer than any of the other friends they have. A strong evidence is that when Kazama was extremely frustrated and lonely in several episodes, Shin-chan was the only one who stayed with him. Of all Shin-chan's friends, he's the only one referred to by his family name (Kazama-kun). Only his mother uses his given name (Tōru-chan). He participates in extracurricular activities like English Conversation and seems knowledgeable in any subject (even if he is not), which makes him look snobbish. He plays football and baseball very well. He likes female animation and comic book characters, though he tries to hide that fact from his friends. He also has a strong attachment to his mother that hints at him having an Oedipus Complex. A recurring theme in the show is that he tries to hang out with upper class girls his age to be a part of the "elite", but runs across Shin-chan being weird which ultimately causes the girl to lose interest in hanging out with him. :: He is known as Cosmo in the Vitello and Phuuz dubs. :: He is known as Georgie Herbert Walker Prescott III in the Funimation dub and is changed into an ultra-conservative Republican Japanese American. He has an off-screen maid named Consuela who does housework and also attends to Georgie. According to Georgie, she sometimes steals his stuff as well. Later, the recession wipes out Georgie's wealth, and Consuela doesn't work for them anymore. ; Nene Sakurada (桜田 ネネ Sakurada Nene?) : Voiced by: Tamao Hayashi (Japanese); Anndi McAfee (Vitello), Michelle Ruff (Phuuz) Carrie Savage (Funimation) (English) :: Nene Sakurada (Nene-chan) is Shin-chan's female classmate and friend. She loves to play 'real omamagoto', or 'real house', in which divorces and arguments are very common and she typically forces/blackmails the boys to play with her. This is always a nuisance to Shin-chan, Bo-chan, and Kazama-kun and a nightmare to Masao as he often needs to be Nene's husband (unsuccessful salaryman) in the plot. She occasionally sees her mother go crazy or do something out of character and shrieks something literally translated to be "You're not my usual mom!". Nene styles herself as a sweet girl, but in fact she has inherited her mother's temper and is quite bossy. Like her mother, she hits a stuffed bunny to relieve her anger. Alternatively, Nene uses Masao as the lightning rod for her frustration when her bunny is not available. She considers Ai her rival. She has a sister named Nike Sakurada (Niku-chan). She has many pet cats whom she loves a lot. It is also hinted that she may have a crush on Shin. :: She is known as Nini in the Vitello and Phuuz dubs. :: She is known as Penny Milfer in the Funimation dub. She lives in an abusive household, leading her to write disturbing plays about what goes on between her parents. She has an offscreen sister named Caitlin Milfer, who was thrown into the lake by Penny's abusive dad. Along with Penny's other aborted siblings, she was born from Bill abusing Patty. Throughout the episodes, she was mentioned by Penny and Patty that Caitlin constantly appears in nightmares and as a "strange voice". In one of the episodes of season 3, Penny's family was going to give Yaz Heiress's costume as a present to Caitlin in the lake, until Shin snatched it from them. ; Masao Sato (佐藤 マサオ Satō Masao?) : Voiced by: Teiyū Ichiryūsai (Japanese); Russi Taylor (Vitello), Barbara Goodson (Phuuz), Colleen Clinkenbeard (Funimation) (English) :: Masao Sato is the smallest member of Kasukabe Defense Organization. He is known to be a scaredy cat and a cry baby. He is also a "clean freak" bordering on Obsessive Compulsive. Even though Masao is known to be spineless, there was once when he betrayed Shin-chan over a pack of candies with the others (Bo, Nene, and Kazama, though only they feel sorry), but eventually comes back to save him after feeling guilty of what he did. His nickname is "Onigiri" due to his shaven head's resemblance to a rice ball, and there are several moments where Shin-chan accidentally mistook Masao's head for a rice ball and even tried to eat it. His friends use it as a term of endearment, while the people that bully him use it as a put-down. His hobby is to write comics. His father owns a supermarket from which all his friends buy material. He is copied in the show Tsurupika Hagemaru as Hagemaru. :: He is known as Max in the Vitello and Phuuz dubs. :: He is known as Maso Sato in the Funimation dub. He is portrayed as having mildly effeminate/homosexual tendencies. Maso is usually the butt of the show's homosexual jokes since he often makes innocent comments that ironically sound homosexual in a different context. Maso is in love with Ai and gets furious whenever Shin rebuffs Ai's advances. The Funimation website says that Maso is like "Linus without his blanket."2 ; Bo (ボー Bō?) : Voiced by: Chie Satō (Japanese); Chris Cason (English) :: Another of Shin-chan's friends, he seems slow and expressionless, but is actually quite smart and has an interest in artistic, adult-oriented things. He loves to collect various kinds of stone and investigating urban legends and various mysterious objects such as UFO's. He often surprises his friends with his insight, though he speaks quite slowly. He always has a trail of mucus running down his nose and can perform various tricks with it. He has a sister named Nisu-chan. :: In the Funimation dub, he is known as Boo, and he says he never wipes it away because he thinks that his snot is the source of his "power". He is portrayed as a stupid kid who often says nonsensical things like a sufferer from Tourette Syndrome. For example, when Penny asked why someone would call Shin's ramshackle apartment "Falling Apartments", Boo responded by saying "I'd call it Boo eats soda and likes lamps." He likes to collect pet rocks, his favorite one is named "Phillip." The Funimation website says that Boo is "sort of like Dim from A Clockwork Orange, or Eeyore from Winnie the Pooh,- without the depression."2 ; Ai Suotome (酢乙女 あい Suotome Ai?) : Voiced by: Ayako Kawasumi (Japanese); Monica Rial (English) :: Ai-chan is one of the show's newer characters. She began appearing on October 12, 1999. She is from a rich family and happened to be enrolled into the Futaba Kindergarten after she threw a dart at a map of Japan and hit Kasukabe to determine where she would go next. She is always seen riding in a black limousine and with a bodyguard. She is very manipulative and purposely bends people to her will just because she can. For example, she made many boys at Futaba Kindergarten fall in love with her. However, when she tried to do the same to Shin-chan, she failed. Because of that, she fell in love with Shin-chan and being the manipulator she is, uses his weaknesses (Action Mask, Chocobi, etc.) to get him to notice her. Masao likes her very much, but Ai almost never pays attention to him. When she does pay attention to him, she makes him act as her pet. She is also a fierce rival of Nene but after they grow up they become best friends. She is not a part of the Kasukabe Defense Organization (かすかべ防衛隊). After kindergarten she permanently moves to Hokkaido and is hence not shown in further episodes. She comes sometimes to meet them. In the latest episode it is shown that she has a younger brother called Kawaguchi Suotome. :: She is known as Sally in the Phuuz dub. Rose Classedit The Rose Class is a class handled by Ume Matzuzaka. A recurring theme in the show is that Rose class is always in competition with Sunflower Class in activities such as Baseball, Soccer, Trekking, etc. Another recurring joke about Rose Class is that whenever they have a competition, they would always reveal a member of the class with exceptional talent in that field. However, they are still beaten most of the time in competition with the Sunflower Class. ; Yasuo Kawamura (河村 やすお Kawamura Yasuo?, Cheetah Kawamura) : Voiced by: Tomoko Ōtsuka (Japanese); Trina Nishimura (English) : Yasuo is always wearing a leopard shirt and playing with his soccer ball. He has a fierce dislike of Shinnosuke and Kazama-kun and usually gets into shouting matches with the latter. He also loves to bully Masao. Even though he is confident in his athletic ability and acts as the Rose Class' leader, he almost always loses to the Sunflower Class by Shinnosuke's strange actions or because another student in Sunflower Class rises to the occasion. He has formed a clique with classmates Hitoshi and Terunobu. ; Hitoshi Chumwinbura (ひとし Chumwinbura Hitoshi?) : Voiced by: Fūko Shinomiya, Chisa Yokoyama, Nao Nagasawa : This child is a kindergarten bully and always likes to bully Masao with Terunobu. ; Terunobu Usayue (てるのぶ Usayue Terunobu?) : Voiced by: Ayako Shiraishi, Yuri Shiratori, Fujiko Takimoto : This child is a kindergarten bully and always likes to bully Masao with Hitoshi. His dialogue usually consists of him just repeating the last thing Hitoshi says when they are bullying someone. Kindergarten staff and relativesedit ; Midori Ishizaka (née Yoshinaga) (石坂（よしなが） みどり Ishizaka (Yoshinaga) Midori?) : Voiced by: Yumi Takada, Haruhi Terada (Japanese); Anndi McAfee (Phuuz), Caitlin Glass (Funimation) (English) : Shin-chan's 24-year-old teacher. She has a rivalry with Ume Matsuzaka, and they get into arguments over things like chest sizes. However she unhesitatingly supports Matsuzaka in certain critical situations. "Yoshinaga" is her maiden name. Her last name changed to "Ishizaka" after getting married to Junichi Ishizaka on July 7, 2000. Before him, she didn't have much luck with her boyfriends, often commiserating with Matsuzaka about their lack of love life. : She is known as Miss Dori in the Vitello and Phuuz dubs. : She is known as Miss Anderson in the Funimation dub. ; Junichi Ishizaka (石坂 純一 Ishizaka Jun'ichi?) : Voiced by: Naoki Bandō (Japanese); Kevin M. Connolly (English) : Midori's 26-year-old husband. A nice, easy going man who gets along fine with Shin-chan and his friends and they in turn, like him as well. He has been portrayed as someone with a lack of confidence problem. This is true when he wanted to propose to Midori. : He is known as Ricky in the Vitello and Phuuz dubs. : He is known as Doyle in the Funimation dub. He is portrayed as a closet telepath and popcorn salesman. In season 3, he was stuck in the jail for popping an army colonel in his man-sized popcorn machine (which his wife claims was an accident). He struggles with embarrassingly large amounts of night flatulence, and the fact that his telepathy has weakened after mistakenly sticking his finger into an electrical socket. ; Momo Ishizaka (石坂 もも Ishizaka Momo?) : Midori and Junichi's daughter. Never appeared in the anime. ; Ume Matsuzaka (松坂 梅 Matsuzaka Ume?) : Voiced by: Michie Tomizawa (Japanese); Grey DeLisle (Vitello), Clarine Harp (Funimation) (English) : Arch-rival of Miss Yoshinaga, teacher of the Rose class. Age 24. Single. Likes to live stylishly in public but she actually struggles to save her money for luxuries and lives in a very cheap, dusty apartment. She dislikes her given name as she always says to Yoshinaga and others, "Don't call me Ume!". This is due to one of the meanings of "Ume", which can mean "3rd class" or "low class". Although she always says she is "tired of Futaba Kindergarten (especially Shin-chan)" and plans to move out to a better school, she never seriously intends to do it. Despite her rivalry with Midori, deep down she cares for her and helped her reconcile with her future husband. A running gag about her is that her dates are often screwed up by Shin-chan in various ways, until she meets Tokurou. : She is known as Miss Uma in the Vitello and Phuuz dubs. : She is known as Rachel Katz in the Funimation dub. She was also addicted to gambling, which made her go into a huge amount of debt. She tried to solve this problem by using mutant kids to compete with Shin's class in various activities so that she'll earn money, but Shin and his friend always managed to beat them, causing her to go through even more debt. ; Matsu Matsuzaka (まつざか 松 Matsuzaka Matsu?) : Voiced by: Masako Katsuki : Ume's eldest sister. Age 28. Like her sister, she is also seeking for a man to form a relationship and eventually marry. Often, when news comes of Ume going on a date or participating in a matchmaking ceremony, Matsu and her other sister, Take, would interfere to win that man's affections, leading to the three sisters fighting over him and eventually ends up with the man she is interested in escaping from the sisters. A similar situation transpired when Ume started dating Tokurou. ; Take Matsuzaka (まつざか 竹 Matsuzaka Take?) : Voiced by: Kei Hayami : Ume's second eldest sister. Age 26. She often appears alongside her elder sister, Matsu, to fight over Ume's new boyfriend. In contrast to Matsu's traditional Japanese-style attire, Take is often prone to Western gaudiness. ; Tokurou Gyouda (行田 徳郎 Gyōda Tokurō?) : Voiced by: Kazuhiko Inoue : Ume Matsuzaka's 28-year-old boyfriend. Worked as a chiropractor and archeologist. He is very enthusiastic about any type of bones ranging from ordinary chicken bones to exotic dinosaur bones. He and Ume met when she broke her leg and was admitted at the hospital he worked. However he died in an explosion in Africa when he was on an expedition with his professor. This only happened in the manga. ; Masumi Ageo (上尾 ますみ Ageo Masumi?) : Voiced by: Kotono Mitsuishi (Japanese); Jamie Marchi (English) : Teacher who handles the Tulip class. Age 23. She first appeared on July 10, 1998 as a new teacher. She seems to be nervous of everything and experiences panic attacks when facing a large group of kids (which is an everyday scenario of a kindergarten teacher). However, when Shin-chan takes off her glasses, her vision becomes blurred and a personality change takes place; she becomes very aggressive and fearless as shown in her first appearance episode 281-2 "The New Teacher Acts Weird" (新しい先生は変わってるゾ Atarashii Sensei wa Kawatteru zo?). Her condition is somewhat similar to Launch from the Dragon Ball series. She has a fixation with Kuroiso, but the motivation behind it changes between the manga and the anime from one of admiration to one of romance. : She is known as Miss Agnes in the Vitello and Phuuz dubs. : She is known as Miss Polly in the Funimation dub. She is a kinky nymphomaniac who has had secret off-screen sexual relations with Principal Ench, Miss Katz, Miss Anderson, and Mr. K. In Season 3, she is a recovering nymphomaniac who goes to a support group to stop her sexual habits. It is also revealed that she first had sexual relations with Super Happy Fun Time American School staff when the school staff were forced to live in the school during the summer in Kasukabe and they all shared a cot. She has a raging temper and dominatrix personality that is only kept in check by the large, square glasses she wears. ; Shiizou Atsukuru (熱繰 椎造 Atsukuru Shiizō?) : Voiced by: Kazunari Tanaka (Japanese); Todd Haberkorn (English) : Newest Futaba Kindergarten staff member. Age 22. He first appeared in an episode aired on August 26, 2005. He can literally be on fire at his own discretion, which is his key personality trait in the show. His name is a reflection of this as it is wordplay on the expression "atsukurushii zo!" (暑苦しいぞ！), which means "It's sweltering!". He is a teacher in training for the Sunflower Class. At first, many of the students were taken aback and annoyed at his passionate way of teaching things but they grew to love him in the end. : He is known as The Flamer in the Funimation dub. He is the coach of recess and is a mutant who can light himself on fire at will. He firmly believes in natural selection, and thinks gingers should be wiped out. ; Bunta Takakura (高倉 文太 Takakura Bunta?) : Voiced by: Rokurō Naya (1992–2014), Junpei Morita (2015–) (Japanese); Pat Fraley (Phuuz), Jason Liebrecht (Funimation) (English) : The principal of Futaba Kindergarten, he's often referred to as "Enchō" (園長?), which means "Kindergarten/Nursery School Principal." His Yakuza-like appearance is often misunderstood by the people in the neighborhood and even within the students of the kindergarten in some occasions, which often acts as a recurring joke in the series (often worsened by Shin-chan by calling him "Kumichō" (組長 Godfather?)). Actually he has a tender heart and good attitude. He is shown to like women's wrestling in one episode. : His name is based on actors Bunta Sugawara and Ken Takakura, both famous for their Yakuza roles in movies. Sugawara, Takakura, and Rokuro Naya (Encho's voice actor) all died within the same month in November 2014. : He is known as Principal Enzo in the Vitello and Phuuz dubs. : He is known as Principal Bernoulli Ench in the Funimation dub. Ench was born in Cuba of both Peruvian and Gypsy descent. He originally managed a cockfighting operation with chickens, but later took up an interest in entertaining children as a magician. This ended in tragedy, as during one performance he accidentally killed/castrasted scores of audience members. Also, somewhere along the line, he accidentally killed some pandas in his kill-trick (which Ench likes to put it as kill-illusion), causing pandas to develop hatred towards him. He then became principal of the school, and to make amends for the trouble he caused during his magic years he became the superhero "Ench-man", operating a ridiculously over-elaborate base under the school and later taking on Shin as his side kick. He gave up being a hero when Shin told everyone at school his secret, causing a number of student and faculty to try to become his sidekicks too. In season 3, it was revealed that his Ench-cave was leaking harmful chemicals, which apparently flowed into Kasukabe's drinking water, causing mutants to be created and stopping people's growth (which Funimation used as an explanation why their ages haven't changed despite the fact that the show ran for at least 2 years). ; Mrs. Takakura (高倉夫人 Takakura-fujin?) : Voiced by: Roko Takizawa : She is Takakura's wife and the Futaba Kindergarten Vice Principal. Her character inexplicably disappeared after the first full-length movie, Action Mask vs. Leotard Devil (アクション仮面ｖｓハイグレ魔王?) Kindergarten children's guardiansedit ; Moeko Sakurada (桜田 もえ子 Sakurada Moeko?) : Voiced by: Shōko Saitō→Junko Hagimori (Ep. 98 and on) (Japanese); Lydia Mackay (English) : Nene-chan's 28-year-old mother. She is easily irritated by Shin-chan, whom she despises, and Misae because she always seems to rub her the wrong way whenever they meet. She has a very strange way of expressing her anger; she beats up a very large stuffed rabbit when in private. Her psychologically-questionable behavior is sometimes seen by others (including her daughter Nene-chan), and those who see her have sweat drops on their head (including the abused stuffed rabbit) and are very intimidated by it (except, of course, for Shin-chan). When she's not angry, she looks like a normal person. Her abusive actions towards stuffed rabbits was passed down from her mother, which she passed down to her child, Nene-chan. : She is known as Ruby in the Vitello and Phuuz dubs. : She is known as Patty Milfer in the Funimation dub. Another factor towards her anger is the constant off-screen physical (And sometimes sexual) abuse from her husband. In one episode, she tries to escape her misery by fleeing the country and abandoning Penny, but her attempt is foiled by Shin. As of the end of season 2, Mr. Milfer went through anger management and ended his abusive cycle. Since then, Patty has been found to actually crave the physical abuse and constantly looks for it through her daughter's friends and their families. ; Nene-chan's father (ネネちゃんのパパ Nene-chan no Papa?) : Voiced by: Shinya Ōtaki : Nene and Nike-chan's father. He is considered to have a cool personality. He likes to go to cherry blossom festivals and often invites the Nohara family, much to his wife's chagrin. : He is named Bill Milfer in the Funimation dub, but he never appears onscreen. He was abusive, but he eventually went through anger management which put an end to his abusiveness. ; Mineko Kazama (風間 みね子 Kazama Mineko?) : Voiced by: Sakiko Tamagawa (Japanese); Melinda Wood Allen (English) : Kazama-kun's mother. She has the appearance of a rich man's wife. She has her son Kazama-kun do many extracurricular activities such as football, cricket, tuitions etc. She also likes to try to make younger men swoon by her looks and fashion. Unlike Nene's mother, Kazama-kun's mother is not unruffled by Shin-chan easily, and prefers to stay out of his way when they happen to meet. She is friends with Misae. : She is named Barbara Walker in the Funimation dub. She is just as much of a big Republican as her son, and is sometimes implied to be racist. ; Kazama-kun's father (風間くんのパパ Kazama-kun no Papa?) : Voiced by: Junichi Kanemaru : He is a very good architect. Apparently richer than most of Shin-chan's friends' parents, he has traveled abroad several times, and is rarely at home because of it. He has a very easy going attitude and gets along fine with everyone including the Nohara family. ; Masao-kun's mother (マサオくんのママ Masao-kun no Mama?) : Voiced by: Tomoko Ōtsuka : She is a little plump. Her face looks almost identical to that of Masao-kun. ; Bo-chan's mother (ボーちゃんのママ Bō-chan no Mama?) : She is mother of Bo. She has appeared only once in the comic books and never on TV. Shin-chan, Kazama-kun, Nene-chan, and Masao-kun have tried to imagine what she looked like. ; Kuroiso (黒磯 Kuroiso?) : Voiced by: Fumihiko Tachiki (Japanese); Christopher Sabat (English) : Ai-chan's bodyguard and driver. He always wears a black business suit and sunglasses, akin to Secret service agents. He is very obedient to Ai-chan's orders because she blackmails him with disclosing the misdeeds he has done when he thought no one was watching (such as accidentally breaking one of her parent's priceless pieces of art and using super-glue to repair it) such as one time when Ai-chan ordered him to find leaves that have fallen during autumn (which result in him being hospitalized when he slipped while catching a beautiful leaf hanging on top of a tree branch). He has dated Miss Ageo, a Futaba kindergarten teacher. He hides while Ai-chan is in class (for example, in the top of the playfield's trees), but Shin-chan always finds his hiding place. : He is known as Mr. K in the Funimation dub. Nanako's family and friendsedit ; Nanako Oohara (大原 ななこ Ōhara Nanako?) : Voiced by: Sayuri, Shizuka Itō (Japanese); Stephanie Young (English) : The college girl with whom Shin-chan is in love. The first time they met was when Shin-chan was strolling in the neighborhood and got something in his eye. Nanako took it out for him. Since then, they have kept in contact. Nanako is the only girl that is unruffled by Shin-chan's behavior, and the only one Shin-chan tries to behave for, even being shy and blushing around her. She dreams of being a kindergarten teacher. She first appeared on January 29, 1996. : She is known as Miss Bono in the Vitello and Phuuz dubs. ; Shijuurou Oohara (大原 四十郎 Ōhara Shijūrō?) : Voiced by: Mugihito : Nanako's father. He is a famous author of many popular books. He is overprotective of his daughter and worries too much about her. He is often seen to disrupt any important matters at hand whenever he has the most extremely subtle (false) hint that Nanako may be in trouble. He disapproves of Shin-chan's love for his daughter though they both band together in keeping an eye on her. ; Shinobu Kandadori (神田鳥 忍 Kandadori Shinobu?) : Voiced by: Mizuki Ōtsuka : Nanako's college friend. She hopes to become a professional wrestler. Her name is based on real-life wrestler Shinobu Kandori. Saitama Crimson Scorpionsedit A gang of high school girls who run into Shin-chan often, with dire consequences. Supposedly their gang rivals other girl gangs. Shin-chan firmly believes them to be an aspiring group of comedians. ; Ryuko Okegawa (ふかづめ 竜子 Fukazume Ryūko?) : Voiced by: Kazue Ikura (Japanese); Brittney Karbowski (English) : The 17-year-old Leader of the clique. She is a tough fighter and behaves righteously towards her friends. Her violent and brash behaviour undermines her gentle and kind side, and despite being the leader of a female gang, shows a surprising amount of genial traits. Has a secret hobby of dressing up as a Sailor Moon character. She also has a huge crush on Shin-chan's father Hiroshi, despite knowing that Hiroshi is married to Misae. Fukazume is actually her nickname of sorts meaning "Rough 'n Ready". Her real name is Ryuko Okegawa (桶川 竜子 Okegawa Ryūko?). She is Nanako's best friend. ; Ogin Uonome (魚の目 お銀 Uonome Ogin?) : Voiced by: Midori Nakazawa→Chizuko Hoshino (Japanese); Amanda Doksocil (English) : Member of the clique who always wears a mask with an "X" on it, thus earning her nickname "Fish-eyed Ogin" (the X resembles the eye of a dead fish). She is taciturn. She is also a good friend of Nanako. Despite her somewhat fearsome demeanor, she possesses a kind side, shown in an episode where she helps out her sick mother. Her face was revealed when Himawari playfully took off her mask. ; Mary (マリー Marī?) : Voiced by: Akiko Muta (Japanese); Trina Nishimura (English) : Another member of the clique, who is fat and clumsy. She is a good friend of Nanako. She often helps her friends despite her inability to fight. Family friends and acquaintancesedit Hiroshi's co-workersedit : Hiroshi Nohara works at a company called Futaba Corporation (ふたば会社 Futaba Kaisha?), located in Kasumigaseki, Tokyo (In the movie from Adventure in Henderland, it is located in Nihonbashi, Chuo, Tokyo). They sell very good computers. ; Kawaguchi (川口 Kawaguchi?) : Voiced by: Daiki Nakamura : Hiroshi is his good friend, so Kawaguchi always looks up to him almost to the point of him thinking that Hiroshi can do no wrong. They often go out to lunch together. His surname is Kawaguchi, Saitama and first name is unknown. ; Hiroshi's boss (ひろしの上司 Hiroshi no joshi?) : Hiroshi's boss and manager, his name is unknown. Misae's and Hiroshi's friendsedit ; Keiko Honda (本田 ケイコ Honda Keiko?) : Voiced by: Minami Takayama : She's been Misae's good friend since middle school. Age 29. Her nickname is "Okei", so Shin-chan calls her "Okei-obasan" (Aunt Okei). She married Satoshi. : She is known as Kai in the Vitello and Phuuz dubs. ; Satoshi Honda (本田 悟史 Honda Satoshi?) : Voiced by: Shiina Nagano, Takuma Suzuki : Keiko's husband. Age 21. He loves anime and owns many Action Kamen movies and action figures. : He is known as Jim in the Vitello and Phuuz dubs. ; Hitoshi Honda (本田 ひとし Honda Hitoshi?) : Voiced by: Yuri Amano, Wasabi Mizuta (stand-in) : Keiko and Satoshi's baby son. His nickname is "Hito-kun". He is always smiling. In the manga version, he has grown a little and goes to swimming school. He is three months older than Himawari. ; Fumie Mogamigawa (最上川ふみえ Morigamigawa Fumie?) : Fumie is Keiko's niece. She resembles Mimiko from Action Kamen. Sometimes she babysits Shin-chan and Hitoshi. ; Yoshiko (よしこ Yoshiko?) : Voiced by: Yūko Mizutani : Misae's old friend who is a manga artist. Kasukabe residentsedit ; Kitamoto (北本 Kitamoto?) : Voiced by: Reiko Suzuki (Japanese); Laurie Steele (English) : Nohara family's neighbor. She loves to gossip so she is frequently seen to be chatting with Misae. She also took in Shiro while the Nohara's had to move to the apartment. Her surname is after to Kitamoto, Saitama. : She is known as Goobers in the Vitello and Phuuz dubs. : She is known as Yuka in the Funimation dub. She almost constantly mentions she has fibromyalgia. ; Robert McGuire (ロベルト・マクガイヤー Roberuto Makugaiyā?) : Voiced by: Yukitoshi Hori (Japanese); Robert McCollum (English) : Kitamoto's nephew. He lives mainly in the US, but sometimes he stays at her house. Shin-chan calls him "Beruto-kun." At first, he couldn't speak any Japanese at all so he would misunderstand everything and was naive to Japanese culture so he took everything Shin-chan would tell him about it at face value. He once had a crush on Nanako. He teaches English at an eikaiwa school. Even though he is half-Japanese, he carries the facial features the show almost always shows foreigners having – blonde haired, blue eyed, and a pointy nose. : In the Funimation dub, he is an albino French man with a sharp French accent sent to Yuka through a website to keep her company. ; Yoshirin Hatogaya (鳩ヶ谷 ヨシりん Hatogaya Yoshirin?) : Voiced by: Daisuke Sakaguchi (Japanese); Eric Vale (English) : The Nohara family's other neighbor, affectionately known as Yocchi. Yocchi and his wife Micchī meet Shin-chan's family for the first time on a trip to Hawaii. After the trip, they moved next door to Shin-chan's family. Their surnames are named after Hatogaya, Saitama. They display their affection towards one another as well as always having a very effervescent attitude, which contrasts with earlier Japanese generations. He and his wife are always wearing matching clothes and they are easily excited by new things. The pair were originally a one shot appearance with the same name and mannerisms, but with a completely different and mature look. Their re-introduction as semi-regular characters on the show saw a revamp in their appearance. : In the Funimation dub, He and his wife are always wearing matching clothes. They are in constant debt due to their constant spending and need to have all the new things, and have adopted habits to run out on bills and look for sleazy, cheap buildings to live in. Yoshirin collected hentai at one point, much to his wife's dismay. : He is known as Luis in the Vitello and Phuuz dubs. ; Micchi Hatogaya (鳩ヶ谷 ミッチー Hatogaya Micchī?) : Voiced by: Fumie Kusae, Makiko Ōmoto (Japanese); Luci Christian (English) : Yoshirin's wife. She likes to watch horror movies (to her husband's chagrin) and collects stuffed dinosaurs. Whenever she and Yocchi have a fight (often over the silliest things), they both end going to the Nohara's for advice and often reconcile while the Nohara's fight (often due to Yocchi and Micchi's argument) by deciding they don't want to become like Hiroshi and Misae. : She is known as Gidgy in the Vitello and Phuuz dubs. Matazuresou residentsedit The Nohara family had to temporarily move into an old apartment complex called Matazuresou (またずれ荘 Matazuresō?), when their house was being reconstructed after a gas explosion that destroyed it completely. During this time, the Noharas became acquainted with most of the neighboring residents. The name literally translates to "It looks like it will fall apart again." A real apartment complex in Kobe was named Matazuresou since the owner was a big fan of this comic. The English Funimation dub uses the play-on-words "Falling Apartments". ; Nushiyo Ooya (大家 主代 Ōya Nushiyo?) : Voiced by: Kōko Kagawa (Japanese); Julie Mayfield (English) : She is the landowner. She has very strict rules such as being very quiet in the corridors and not allowing pets. She spends her free time piling her collection of dentures into a tower. Her cold attitude toward children can be attributed to the fact that her husband and her 3-year-old daughter died in a traffic accident 30 years ago. : In the Funimation dub, she is also referred to as the Manlady, a pun on her homely appearance and position of power as landlady. ; Yonro (四郎 Yonrō?) : Voiced by: Toshiharu Sakurai (Japanese); Christopher Sabat (English) : He lives next door from Shin-chan's family at room 201. He attended Tokyo Kasukabe University, not Tokyo University as Misae had mistakenly believed. Misae and Hiroshi frequently invited him over to fancy dinners at their house being very supportive of him so that one day when Yonro goes into a successful political career, he would thank them with lots of money and gifts. When Misae and Hiroshi found out that he wasn't attending Tokyo University, they practically abandoned him. He has visited Shin-chan's family when they moved back into their old house. He works at a supermarket as a part-time job. His wall and the Nohara family's wall in the apartment have a huge big hole. : The Funimation dub pits Yanro as a stereotypical nerd obsessed with sci-fi and hentai. Shin-chan refers to him as "dropout" due to a running gag in the dub that he cannot pass the entrance exams for any of the Kasukabe community colleges. ; Atsuko Kutsuzoko (屈底 厚子 Kutsuzoko Atsuko?) : Voiced by: Hiromi Ishikawa (Japanese); Tiffany Grant (English) : She is an 18-year-old mother. Her actions and style reflect the Japanese younger generation. : She is known as Summer in the Funimation dub. She is an American who moved to Japan trying to find the father of her daughter, whom she only knew from a one night stand. She is depicted as being an airhead with a "Valley Girl" accent. ; Atsumi Kutsuzoko (屈底 アツミ Kutsuzoko Atsumi?) : Voiced by: Saori Sugimoto (Japanese); Leah Clark (English) : Atsuko's 2-year-old daughter. She usually dresses in the same fashions as her mother and is prone to nose picking. : She is known as Paris in the Funimation dub and is not a baby but a 7-year-old dwarf. She also refers to things that are bad or she dislikes as "ghetto". ; Atsushi Kutsuzoko (屈底 アツシ Kutsuzoko Atsushi?) : Atsuko's husband, he is a truck driver. He doesn't appear in the anime. ; Kyuji Oda (汚田 急痔 Oda Kyūji?) : Voiced by: Jun Fukuyama : An undercover police officer who works with Kyousuke on a narcotics control case. He and Kyousuke are renting room 204 in the anime and 205 in the manga, although he does not actually live there. He and Kyousuke have gone to Shin-chan's kindergarten to teach the children street smarts. He and his partner pose as father and son so as not to draw suspicion. : He is known as Barnie Ota in the Funimation dub. He and Nakatomi posed as a homosexual couple as their cover story. In the third season, however, it is revealed that the cover-up had turned into an actual relationship. ; Kyousuke Nigariya (にがりや 京助 Nigariya Kyōsuke?) : Voiced by: Takkō Ishimori : An undercover police officer who works with Kyuji. : He is known as Ken Nakatomi in the Funimation dub. ; Yuu Yakutsukuri (役津栗 優 Yakutsukuri Yū?) : Voiced by: Makiko Ōmoto (Japanese); Jennifer Green (English) : The resident of 203 who wants to be an actress. Constantly wears bizarre costumes in order to practice for auditions. One time, she confused the Nohara family by portraying herself as an abusive man and an attractive woman before they found out her true identity. TV stars and fictional charactersedit Action Mask TV seriesedit ; Action Mask (アクション仮面 Akushon Kamen?) : Voiced by: Tesshō Genda (Japanese); Pat Fraley (Phuuz), Troy Baker (Funimation) (English) : Shin-chan's favorite live action superhero who comes from the "Action Planet" (アクション星 Akushon Sei?). Action Mask is a spoof of Japan's tokusatsu shows (most notably, the Kamen Rider Series' shows). Action Mask finishes his enemies off with a beam attack known as the "Action Beam". His episodes are shown as a show within a show. : In 2014, a spin-off manga series based on Action Mask was published in Monthly Action Magazine from Futabasha.3 It's available on Crunchyroll outside Japan.4 : He is known as Masked Muchacho in the Vitello and Phuuz dubs. : He is known as Action Bastard in the Funimation dub. There are many sexual innuendos added in this dub, such as villains named "Doctor Enema" or "The Corn-Holer". Action Bastard gained his powers after being bitten by a radioactive bastard. He often tries to sell products on his show to his viewers, such as his numerous food items like Crunchy Bastard Chips, and will attempt to scare the viewers into buying it. For example, he may tell the kids watching that it's their fault if the world ends tomorrow, or telling them they'll die if they don't buy them. His secret identity is Bruce Bastard, and for a brief while had a special Slot Belt which gave him a powered-up mode known as "Lucky Bastard Fever." ; Gotarō Gō (郷 剛太郎 Gō Gotarō?) : Action Mask's alter ego. When not engaged in saving the world, he is a movie stuntman. : In the spin-off manga, Gō takes an undercover mission in Saitama to investigate a series of incidents in which humans are implanted with "seeds" that turn them into monsters through hatred. He transforms into Action Mask to combat the monsters. However instead of attacking the monsters with violence, Action Mask instead tries to reason with them and have the monsters express their feelings, relieving their hatred. This allows the seed of the monster to be exposed allowing Action Mask to use his Action Beam to free the seed from its host. ; Mimiko Sakura (桜 ミミ子 Sakura Mimiko?) : Voiced by: Etsuko Kozakura (Japanese); Kate Oxley (English) : Action Mask's young sidekick. She provides Action Mask with weapons and information, though she more often than not gets herself captured in the process. : In the spin-off manga, Mimiko is an adult working as Dr. Kitakasukabe's assistant, monitoring Gō's progress. : She is known as Loli Pop in the Funimation dub. In episode 41, Loli gains new powers that parody the magical girl genre, renaming herself Jailbait Poon. Her name is a pun on the word lolicon. ; Professor Gō (郷博士 Gō Hakase?) : Voiced by: Rokurō Naya : The inventor of Action Mask's weapons and vehicles to fight evil. In the manga, his name is Kitakasukabe (北春日部 Kitakasukabe?). : In the spin-off manga, he leads a task force that investigates the cause of the seed outbreak in Saitama. ; MekeMeke Z (メケメケＺ MekeMeke Z?) : Voiced by: Takeshi Aono : Action Mask's archenemy and leader of the Black MekeMeke Group (ブラックメケメケ団 Burakku MekeMeke Dan?). He's an advanced intelligent robot with his own equivalent of Action Mask's techniques. He also has two weaker versions of himself called MekeMeke X and MekeMeke Y. ; Eagle Head (イーグルヘッド Iguru Heddo?) : Voiced by: Jūrōta Kosugi (Japanese); Michael Sinterniklaas (English) : The leader of the Sparrow Group (スズメ団 Suzume Dan?) whom Action Mask encounters during the "Action Mask Fever" story arc. His outfit and name are likely based on the anime Gatchaman and its protagonist Ken the Eagle. : He is known as Flying Pecker in the Funimation dub. He appears in the Lucky Bastard Fever serial, and turned out to be a brainwashed man named Phillippe. ; Misato Yashio : Appearing only in the spin-off manga, Misato first encountered Gō when he transforms into Action Mask to save her from a monster who has a hatred for children. She is surprised to see Action Mask not fighting back against the monster and instead tries to reason with it. Misato is a fan of tokusatsu (her favorite being Twin Leaf Mask) and dresses as boy when attending school. ; Bal : Appearing only in the spin-off manga. Bal is a ghostly entity who assists Gō in both transforming into Action Mask and exposing the monsters' seeds. ; Doctor Hitlerclone : The antagonist of the Lucky Bastard Fever serial in the Funimation dub. His name comes from the fact that he resembles Adolf Hitler. ; Vampire Will : He was a vampire who exclusively made appearance in the episode "True Twillight Diaries" in the Funimation dub. Similar to most stereotypical vampire, he is afraid of garlic, silver, and sunlight. He can also transform into half-bat half-human, which he can use to fly away. He went on a snowboarding trip with Nanako (who wasn't aware of his real identity) so that he can dig his finger into her "cookie dough". He was also responsible for Rex's "mysterious" death, who used to be Nanako's ex-boyfriend and a famous snow-boarder. By having Rex's blood inside him, he tried to seduce Nanako by snowboarding, but his attempts were all foiled, ultimately by Shin. Ironically, though, he is actually Nanako's dad in the original show, and was probably made into a vampire just to reference Twillight movie. Kantam Robo Anime Seriesedit ; Kantam Robo (カンタムロボ Kantamu Robo?) : Voiced by: Shinya Ōtaki : Shin-chan's favorite anime character. Kantam Robo parodies the mecha anime genre. The name "Kantam" is a spoof on the Gundam name, as the Katakana characters ga (ガ?) and da(ダ?) in "Gundam" (ガンダム Gandamu?) are replaced with the characters ka (カ?) and ta (タ?), respectively and his look appears to have been inspired by such early mecha anime such as Tetsujin 28-go and Mazinger Z. Kantam is actually made up of two units – one is the main robot and the other is an identical smaller robot which pilots the main robot. Additionally, the main robot can transform into two forms. His main attack is the "Kantam Punch". Like Action Mask, his adventures are shown within a Shin-chan episode. : He is known as Psycho Robotico in the Vitello and Phuuz dubs. ; John Yamada (山田ジョン Yamada Jyon?) : Voiced by: Yoshiko Matsuo : Kantam's human partner. He helps the smaller Kantam pilot the main robot. He is also necessary for Kantam to change form. ; President Gilkilos (ギルキロス大統領 Girukirosu Daitōryō?) : Voiced by: Takeshi Watabe, Takeshi Aono : The main antagonist of the anime and the leader of the Midnight Secret Society (秘密結社ミッドナイト). ; Kaizam Robo (カイザムロボ Kaizamu Robo?) : Voiced by: Kōji Ishii : Kantam's older brother and rival working for President Gilkilos and Midnight. SHIN-MEN Charactersedit SHIN-MEN is Crayon Shin-chan's take on the five person tokusatsu programs like the Super Sentai Series with five members that all look like Shin-Chan fighting the evil TON-MEN (who all look like Buriburizaemon) in an alternate reality signified by a markedly different style of animation. ; Fire SHIN-MEN Gou (ファイヤーSHIN-MEN ゴゥ Faiyaa SHIN-MEN Gou?) : Voiced by: Keiko Toda : This character's personality is closest to the "real world" Shin-Chan. He thinks crime fighting is boring and is lazy in general, but when a young lady is involved, he will fight with all of his heart as well as do mundane tasks with speed and efficiency in order to impress her. As his name implies, he commands the element of fire. ; Wind SHIN-MEN Hyuu (ウィンドSHIN-MEN ヒュー Uindo SHIN-MEN Hyuu?) : Voiced by: Takahiro Mizushima : Probably the most heroic of the SHIN-MEN and the leader of the group. He's a stand-up, no nonsense boy who commands the power of wind. This allows him free flight. He's in love with Iron Can. ; Iron SHIN-MEN Can (アイアンSHIN-MEN カン Aian SHIN-MEN Kan?) : Voiced by: Mitsuki Saiga : Another heroic SHIN-MEN whose iron body can configure itself into different vehicles. She chooses toughness over finesse and therefore usually rushes into a situation without thinking. She's the only girl in the group, and has two identical sisters. She's in love with Wind Hyuu. ; Water SHIN-MEN Sui (ウォーターSHIN-MEN スィ Uootaa SHIN-MEN Sui?) : Voiced by: Yukiji : This member is a bit of a joker and has an eye for the ladies like Gou, but doesn't use them as an ulterior motive for fighting. He can use and control water as a weapon as long as he is hydrated. When he doesn't get enough water, he shrinks down. ; Plant SHIN-MEN Nyoki (プラントSHIN-MEN ニョキ?) : Voiced by: Hiroyuki Yoshino : This member can use and spawn plants in battle, but like Sui, his powers are dependent upon water. A lack of water causes him to shrivel up and become ineffectual. ; Piroshi (ピロシ Piroshi?) : Voiced by: Keiji Fujiwara : This reality's iteration of Hiroshi except that he's a single man and owner of a ramen shop. He takes care of Gou, however, because he is too lazy to take care of himself. Other charactersedit ; Buriburizaemon (ぶりぶりざえもん Buriburizaemon?) : Voiced by: Kaneto Shiozawa→Hiroshi Kamiya (Ep. 894 and on) (Japanese); Justin Cook (English) : Buriburizaemon is a cowardly talking pig who is featured in some of the episodes and chapters set in ancient Japan. Despite being a product of Shin-chan's imagination, he is treated as an actual character. His major appearances in the anime are limited due to the death of his voice actor in 2000, but he made a few cameos after that. Buriburizaemon did not have a speaking part until 2010 when he appears in the alternate reality "SHIN-MEN" episodes as a group of 5 evil clones called "TON-MEN". On May 13, 2016 he returned permanently with a new voice actor, Hiroshi Kamiya, from episode 894-2 "The Adventures of Buriburizaemon: The Revival Chapter" (ぶりぶりざえもんの冒険 覚醒編) on. : He is known as Big-a-zoid in the Vitello and Phuuz dubs. ; Magical Girl Moe-P (ま・ほー少女もえＰ Mahō Shōjo Moe-Pī?) : Voiced by: Sakura Nogawa (Japanese); Cherami Leigh (English) : A moe-driven magical girl parody. Kazama-kun has a secret obsession with the character. : She is known as Yaz Heiress in the Funimation dub. She is supposedly rich from her dead father's inheritance, spreading the message "Money makes life happy!" to girls everywhere. ; Shinobu Sakai (酒井 しのぶ Sakai Shinobu?) : Voiced by: Miki Itō, Kumiko Nishihara : A college student who has held many part-time jobs to put herself through college, only to lose them often due to Shin-chan's antics. She absolutely despises him, but due to her frequent jobs involving customer service, she has to put up with him. She finally takes up a job in the lost child department of the Action Departmental Store. ; Kenta Musashino (武蔵野 剣太 Musashino Kenta?) : Voiced by: Kenji Nojima (Japanese); Travis Willingham (English) : Shin-chan's 34-year-old Kendo Master. He first appeared in the April 26, 2003 episode "I'm a Kendo Master" (オラは剣の達人だゾ Ora wa Ken no Tatsujin da zo?) to teach Shin-chan the ways of Kendo. Has a habit of always stepping into dog feces whenever he walks away. : In the Funimation dub, he's a paranoid schizophrenic whom suffers from strange, misogynistic delusions, and believes in his own ridiculous prophecy that Shin is "Dildor", a fabled hero who is destined to destroy "Sluteris, the Bug Queen". In season 3, it's said he's dead. ; Razaya Dan (団 羅座也 Dan Razaya?) : Voiced by: Chafurin : A newscaster whose show Misae often watches. His name comes from Dan Rather. ; Usuto Yoshii (よしい うすと Yoshii Usuto?) : Voiced by: Takaya Hashi : A famous manga artist who lives in the same neighborhood as Shin-chan. He often gets ideas from Shin-chan. Masao-kun is a huge fan of his. His name comes from series creator Yoshito Usui. : He is known as Marty Flang in the Vitello and Phuuz dubs. ; Yoshito Usui (臼井儀人 Usui Yoshito?) : The creator of the Crayon Shin-Chan manga who sometimes makes cameo appearances in the movies and the TV show. In the feature length movies, his character is young looking, effervescent, and dresses up in gaudy suits while singing karaoke. He is either seen practicing for a karaoke event or is asking directions to get to a karaoke event. His cameos always lead to him being punched in the face by Hiroshi or Misae. ; Shinko-chan (しんこちゃん Shinko-chan?) : Voiced by: Satomi Kōrogi : A strange girl from the future with the same facial features as Shin-chan. She has a slightly creepy demeanor, but is the opposite of Shin-chan in many ways as she is tactful, empathetic, and sees the good qualities in the people she meets. Himawari treats Shinko as her best friend, possibly due to the fact that she is Hima's future friend (around the time when Hima is 5). She is supposedly rich, having servants and owning time machine to go back to time when Shin was 5. Her coming is always heralded by dark clouds in the shape of coiled feces. ; Nene's stuffed bunny (ネネちゃん家のウサギのぬいぐるみ?) : Voiced by: Jerry Jewell (English) : A stuffed rabbit, owned by Nene and her mother. Nene and her mother started using it as a punching bag to vent out their anger. : It is known as Happiness Bunny in the Funimation dub. There are three occurrences in the Funimation dub where it came to life at the light of a lunar eclipse (evidenced by a red moon), and takes revenge on Penny and her mother for all the suffering Category:Shows Category:Japanese Shows Category:Old Shows Category:Major Shows